12 days in Turkmenistan Itinerary

A Soviet-like grid of opulent marble edifices in the center of the desert, Ashgabat paints an unusual picture.

Ashgabat is known for sightseeing, historic sites, and museums. Your trip includes some of its best attractions: delve into the distant past at Parthian Fortresses of Nisa - UNESCO World Heritage Site, take in the spiritual surroundings of Ertugrul Gazi Mosque, make a trip to Gypjak Mosque, and pause for some photo ops at Independence Monument.

To find photos, traveler tips, reviews, and more tourist information, use the Ashgabat online travel planner.

Salzburg, Austria to Ashgabat is an approximately 16-hour flight. Traveling from Salzburg to Ashgabat, you'll lose 4 hours due to the time zone difference. Expect much warmer weather when traveling from Salzburg in August: highs in Ashgabat hover around 43°C, while lows dip to 27°C. Finish your sightseeing early on the 14th (Sun) to allow enough time to drive to Mary.

Prosperous thanks to its successful cotton growing and processing industry, Mary retains much of the Soviet-era sensibility once prevalent in this part of the world.

On the 15th (Mon), delve into the distant past at Gyaur Kala and then take in the architecture and atmosphere at Pokrovskaya Church. Here are some ideas for day two: make a trip to Gurbanguly Hajji Mosque and then get engrossed in the history at National History and Ethnology Museum.

To see more things to do, maps, where to stay, and tourist information, refer to the Mary trip planner.

You can drive from Ashgabat to Mary in 5 hours. Traveling from Ashgabat in August, Mary is slightly colder at night with lows of 24°C. Wrap up your sightseeing on the 16th (Tue) early enough to drive to Darvaza.

On the 17th (Wed), explore the striking landscape at Darvaza Gas Crater. Get ready for a full day of sightseeing on the next day: make a trip to Darvaza Water Crater.

To find traveler tips, where to stay, other places to visit, and tourist information, read our Darvaza trip itinerary planner.

Drive from Mary to Darvaza in 8.5 hours. Alternatively, you can drive. On the 19th (Fri), wrap the sightseeing up by early afternoon so you can travel back home.